Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki: Episode Discussion Thread - 27
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai Sep 11, 2025 EDT
KIARA EXPOSED 11.9
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Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai Sep 12, 2025 EDT
Bigg Boss 19 Daily Discussion Thread - 12th Sept 2025
HUM JEET GAYE 12.9
Is it just me or…
MAJOR REVAMP TIME FOR STAR PLUS
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Patrama Prem ~ A Gosham SS ~ Chapter 4 on pg 2
Anupamaa 12 Sept 2025 Written Update & Daily Discussions Thread
The 71st National Film Awards are September 23 in Delhi
Thank you so much for the wonderful comments beautifuls! Here's the next part, it's extra long, think I should name this a LASS, LONG ASS SHORT STORY! And also, I've deleted my inbox by accident, if I haven't replied to anyone then it's because of that. I'm really sorry guys, I feel bad myself, it had a lot of memories from my time on IF that I wanted to keep but ahh idk. Anyhoo, ignore any mistakes and leave your comments behind. They make me smile!
Chapter 6
He panted heavily over the steering wheel, he peeked above to find his breathing had blurred the windows. He rested his chin on the bottom of the wheel whilst he made circles on the window. He watched amused as the water dripped downwards, ruining his drawings.
'What are you doing?' He heard her voice in a faint whisper, startled; he turned towards the passenger seat to find her sat there with a wide grin on her face. He watched as she playfully brushed her hair back, playing her lips and her eyebrows at him.
'Aa-Ayaat, what are you doing here?' He asked shocked.
'Why don't you ask yourself that question?' She answered softly, staring at him knowingly.
'Ayaat, I feel like I er' He rubbed his face.
'What do you feel Zain?' She met his eyes,
'Are you really here? Are you real?' He whispered, not believing his eyes. Ayaat laughed as he watched with eager eyes, mesmerized by her laughter. She pointed towards his heart,
'Again, ask yourself that. I'm as real as you want me to be. I'm a reflection of your reality, a dream that only exists in there' She pointed towards his head and then his heart. 'You're confused right, why are you letting them fight?' She raised her eyebrow suddenly; she placed her hand over his heart. 'Your heart and your mind are running over each other. Why does my presence do that to you?'
He laughed sarcastically.
'If I knew the answer, I wouldn't really be sat here' He snorted. He closed his eyes and sighed into his hands. He opened his car door and jumped out of the car. He looked towards his wet shoes irritated and looked up into the sky. He grunted loudly stomping his feet towards the house. He stopped halfway and looked at his hand; he saw her hand holding onto his. He glared at her, she shrugged her shoulders innocently.
He knocked on the front door and waited impatiently,
'Why did you do that Zain? What do you feel for me?' She asked him again and again.
'Look at me' He yelled at her frustrated. 'This is what you have done to me' He held his head, feeling a headache coming on.
'What have I done to you?' She creased her eyebrows.
He looked up above into the sky,
'Almighty, help me'
'Help you?' Dilshad stood at the entrance, 'Ya Allah, you're soaked' She pulled him inside and closed the door.
'Why are you so wet?'
'The rain daadi, doesn't warn you when it will come' He laughed. He looked towards his hand to find her pulling it.
'You held my hand like this today.' She smiled like an innocent teenager, You care about me Zain, admit it' She played her eyebrows. 'You kissed me today!'
'I didn't kiss you' He said quickly. Dilshad looked at him weirdly, he laughed at her awkwardly. He cupped her face and kissed her forehead.
'I didn't kiss you today' He smiled at her. Dilshad caressed his face. 'I've got a headache, I'll just get changed' She nodded at him.
'Go quickly. Come to my room once you're done. I'll massage your head' She blew him a kiss. He nodded at her before walking towards the stairs. Ayaat followed him, skipping. She walked backwards up the stairs whilst he tiredly took each stair up watching her bare feet play with him.
'You did kiss me today'
'No I didn't' He grumbled tiredly.
'You care about me, don't you?' She asked him. He remained silent. 'You care about me, don't you?' She asked again. He didn't answer. Her foot lingered on the stairs as she took another step up. She couldn't find a platform to rest her foot and slipped,
'Careful' He bent forward and caught her. His cheek brushed hers, her breathing heavy on his neck,
'What happened beta?' Dilshad asked, peeking her head towards him curiously.
'Huh? Yeah. Daadi, I'm really wet, there's water everywhere, be careful you might slip' He looked here and there. He glared at Ayaat before walking around her.
'Zain, answer me' She followed behind him. He turned around and slammed the door closing her out of his room. He turned around and jumped back against his door seeing her inside.
'You woh' He pointed outside his room. He rubbed his face before looking at her.
He loosened his tie and walked towards his bed.
'Why did you behave like you did today Zain?' Ayaat asked again trying to get him to admit his feelings to himself.
'I don't know' He breathed out, 'Could you just leave me alone?' He held his hand out to her pleading. He turned his back towards her for a moment before spinning on his feet, 'No I didn't mean...' He put his hand out to find her gone. He bit his bottom lip in frustration and kicked his wet jacket that was on the floor. He unbuttoned his shirt one by one, the urge to rip it apart rising by the minute. He strolled towards his bathroom losing his pants on the way there. He stood under the shower with his eyes closed as he allowed the shower to drench every part of his body, wiping away all his frustration. He stepped out of the shower, slowly wrapping the towel around his waist. He shook his hair as droplets of water outlined his body, down his cheeks, over his chest, between his abs before running under the towel. He froze outside the bathroom seeing Ayaat stood in her PJ's with her arms on her waist. She shook her pony tail disappointed at the mess; she picked it up one by one.
'What is this Zain? Why are you so messy?' She placed the clothes into the basket. She turned around smiling with Zain returning the gesture. He watched her eyes widen, her hands over her mouth before she turned around.
'Hawww! You're naked' She spoke shocked. Zain looked down at his body with a grin on his face, he looked up to find her gone, the room messy as before. He shook his head picking up his clothes and placed them into the wash basket. He opened his wardrobe, smacking his head against the door in the process. He rubbed his forehead and took out his night clothes.
He buttoned his kurta and walked out of his room, he looked back being able to hear her laughter. He closed the door shut and open Dilshad's room. He closed it shut and smiled at Dilshad who was waiting for him with oil.
'No daadi. I'll leave the oil massage today. Hair is still wet' He shook his hair. She nodded before pointing towards his coffee. 'Thank youu' He smiled. He sat against her window ledge watching the rain like it was the most fascinating creation ever. He looked over his shoulder as Dilshad got under her duvet and started sewing.
'Daadi...' He started unsure.
'Hmmm' She replied without looking,
'I need your help... No I mean my friend does. Yeah my friend' Dilshad remained silent. 'He's driving me insane. He wants to know what's wrong with him like I'm some sort of doctor, think he needs a physiatrist' He laughed at himself. 'There's this girl, they seem to hate each other. All they ever do is fight. He doesn't want to argue but every time he sees her, he can't help but argue. I mean she doesn't help the situation.' He remembered their fights. 'He er hurts her, but cannot see her tears. He's confused. He said er, he seems to be losing his senses. Every time he sees her, her hair, her eyes, her li' He whispered before coughing, 'He can't bear her silence towards him. He is willing to do anything to see her smile but he always hurts her.' Zain closed his eyes. 'There's something there, even he knows that but with that there's fear, fear of disappointing close ones. He sees her everywhere, and when she's not in front of him, his eyes crazily searches for her one glimpse. What kind of feeling is this that's making him lose his breath' He slouched his shoulders in defeat. 'He doesn't know what to do' Dilshad laughed.
'He's in love' Asad's voice came from the doorway. Zain dropped his legs off the window ledge and stared at him, Asad was leaning against the door with his arms crossed. He walked over towards Dilshad and placed her medicine on her side table. 'I'm going to bed. Goodnight' He kissed her forehead and left.
Zain looked at Dilshad who confirmed his doubts,
'Haan beta. He is in love. Love is like that, like I said it is born from the deepest of hatred. Love gives you pain but it also teaches you to remove it. It possesses you in such a way, all you ever see is the person you love in front of you. It makes you see the good in everything' Dilshad spoke dreamily sighing as she carried on sewing. 'All these small fights and making up makes a relationship stronger. Teaches you to smile, control your anger, most importantly helps you lose yourself so that they could find you. Their absence makes you breathless as if someone is pulling all the oxygen out of you, their presence brings you back to life. You feel like the strongest and the luckiest person on earth when they're beside you. It-' Dilshad looked up to find Zain walking towards the door.
'Gooodnight daadi' He closed the door behind him and flopped onto his bed. He leaned against his pillow sideways and stared out of his window. He didn't want to get up and close his curtains as the moonlight streamed through the white netty layer and brightened up the room. He mentally scolded himself as he thought of her again; she appeared in front of him, lying on her side facing him. He brushed his hand towards hers, his thumb brushed the palm of her hand. He slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep bringing the tiring day to an end.
'Abbu, you're joking right?' Ayaat pushed Zoya's wheelchair inside the house whilst Asad carried her bags.
'You said they've closed your karate classes' right? And kickboxing is cancelled so-' He placed Zoya on the sofa.
'Yeah. Why else do you think I was sleeping? I'm so tired, you know I don't have to be at the office till 12. It's 8 Abbu' Ayaat complained.
'I want us to do breakfast together' He smiled at her widely showing her all his teeth.
'A family that eats together stays together yeahyeah please don't break into those lines' She rolled her eyes yawning. She knew what he was trying to indicate. 'Me and Ammi will move in on friday' She announced pushing Zoya's wheelchair into her father's room. Asad dropped her bags, his eyes widened with excitement.
'Whaaat?' He shouted, 'Really?'
'Yeahyeah' Ayaat mumbled tiredly. 'You're welcome.'
'Yaaay' He cheered picking her up and swinging her around.
'Abbu, you let me down now or else decision will change' She threatened. He put her down instantly and zoomed out of the room.
'I'll make breakfast' He announced. Ayaat rest her chin on her mother's shoulder in defeat,
'Why is he doing this?' She cried.
'That's why I'm going back to sleeep' Zoya lay on the bed as Ayaat spread her legs outwards. She pulled the duvet over her and closed the curtains. Father daughter try not to burn the house down' She yawned. Ayaat closed the door behind her and sighed staring at her father bringing destruction into the kitchen.
'Daadi where are you when I need you?' She looked towards the stairs.
'Where's Zoya?' Asad looked up with flour on his face,
'Away from you' She coughed. 'What's with the sudden energy Abbu jaaan?' She laughed joining his side. She jumped up onto the work desk and swung her legs playfully. 'You have OCD right?' She asked picking up the burnt roti. Her eyes ran over the mess.
'Please go. Now. Out of the kitchen and freshen up' She pointed towards his room. He gave her a goofy smile.
'And when I call for breakfast, you have to come out straight away. Leave my Ammi alone' She twisted her mouth.
'She's my wife' He held his head up and walked away.
'Drama queen' Ayaat laughed before tidying up.
Ayaat removed her apron leaving the cheese pastries in the oven. She covered the aloo paratha and set the table up. She looked at the clock on the dining room wall,
'Where's daadi?' She wondered. She looked around the squeaky clean kitchen and headed upstairs. She was humming to her favourite song, everything seemed so peaceful. The house smelt of freshly baked pasties, the windows were open letting in the slightly cool breeze brush the air in the house. She sighed in contentment twisting the door handle and entering the room next to Dilshad's by mistake.
'Daadi, I made breakfast' She jumped onto the bed and lay back. She closed her eyes with a smile on her face allowing the breeze to cool her face. She heard the bathroom door click open,
'Daa-' Ayaat's mouth fell open seeing Zain come out of the bathroom. Her eyes went over his body making her slip off the edge of the bed. She looked around the room to realise she was sitting on Zain's bedroom floor. She facepalmed herself picking herself up and stood there staring at him. Zain was whistling walking out of the bathroom, he halted seeing Ayaat stand there shocked. He rubbed his face,
'You're back?' He asked, walking towards her,
'Huh?' She looked at him with creased brows. Her eyes went over his abs, she turned around hiding her face. He stood behind her; Ayaat's back creased feeling his bare back against her. She turned around and pushed him away. He looked towards her disbelievingly,
'You are unbelievable' She spoke shocked,
'Huh? You're really here?' He put his hand out and touched her cheek. She followed his hand and stepped backwards,
'Zain, you've lost it' She ran out of the room feeling flushed. She ran down the stairs as he stood there wondering what had happened. He walked towards the mirror and stared at himself. He whacked his head against the mirror,
'What.are.you.doing.you.stupid.fool?' He looked at himself. 'She thinks you're crazy. And you haven't explained last night... and and you just went an did this, with.your.naked.body' He brushed his hair back. 'She's here. Umh she's here' He panicked, 'She saw you like this?' He looked at himself in the mirror and grinned to himself before covering his body.
'Daadi, breakfast!' She shouted from downstairs. 'Abbu, breakfast. Jaldi aoo. It's getting cold baba' Ayaat called everyone.
'My beautiful baby' Dilshad came down, 'When did you come? I can't believe I slept till so late, must be the new medicines' She sighed hugging her granddaughter. 'Hmmm you made breakfast'
'Yuppp' She chirped shaking her pony tail watching Zain come down from the corner of her eyes. She went into the kitchen and took out her pasties and placed them on the table. Zain looked at them impressed; she rolled her eyes in appreciation of herself. He opened the fridge and took out the carton of orange juice. He started drinking from the carton making Ayaat grunt loudly.
'It's not like anyone else lives here' She spoke sarcastically grabbing the carton off him making him complain behind her. He watched as she poured the orange into a glass and handed it back to him.
'I poisoned it' She smirked,
'I shall gladly take it' He answered back before sitting down, she stared at him.
'ABBU! Breakfast!'
'I'm coming baba. Patience'
'I don't have to go office till 12' She told everyone sitting down next to Zain. She wanted everyone to know she was free, to save herself from Zain giving her extra work to punish her.
'Baby, you didn't tell me about that friend of yours' Asad bit into his sandwhich.
'Connor?' She asked cutting her pasty and taking a bite out of it. Zain cut his pasty harder than he should've making the knife screech against the plate.
'Beta, araam se. You going to eat the plate or what?' Dilshad joked, he shrugged his shoulders.
'Yes him' Asad replied. Ayaat gave Zain an irritated look before concentrating on her father.
'Yes, I love him' She chirped. Asad and Zain spat out their food and stared at her with distorted expressions, shocked and angry.
'Whaaatt?' Asad choked, wiping his mouth. Zain nodded his head asking the same question.
'Yes. He's a good friend. The only person that actually understands me' she explained.
'I understand you' Asad whispered not knowing how to react whilst he devised a plan to murder the boy. The same thoughts were running through Zain's head before he realised something. He looked at Ayaat smiling sneakily at her father's reaction.
'You know he understands the clothes I design. He gives me his honest opinions on the clothes I wear' She watched his eyes widen. 'He taught me to dance, ballroom dance' She went on taking another bite of her pasty making Asad breathless. Zain nodded his head at her antics, he didn't want to end her beautiful smile but Asad seemed like he was going to have a heart attack any minute although he himself didn't like the idea of Connor teaching her ballroom dance even though he is how he is.
'Ayaat' Zain smiled, she looked at him shaking her head at him. 'You didn't tell us your friend-' Ayaat stepped on his foot making him yelp. She smiled at her father who was pressing his temples.
'She didn't tell us what Zain?' Dilshad asked, Zain took a sip of his orange juice praying for his hurt foot. He shook his head at her, 'Ayaat beta pass me that sauce on your right' Ayaat was about to lift her hand when Zain caught hold of it. Her eyes popped out of her as she looked at Dilshad's face and then below her. She tried freeing her hand but he wasn't willing to let go. She eyed him to let go but he ignored her and carried on eating.
'Beta, sauce'
'Hhaan' She stuttered, she tried reaching for it with her left hand but failed. 'I can't reach it' She fell back, feeling slightly out of breath. Everyone looked at her, 'Ermm Zain will you pass that bowl to daadi' She asked sweetly gritting her teeth. He passed it over to Dilshad whilst Ayaat avoided everyone's gaze and stuffed her mouth.
'I'm done, thanks Ayaat' Asad got up. She started shaking seeing him push his chair in place. She sighed a breath of relief seeing him walk the other way. She looked at Zain,
'Will you let go?' She whispered to him. He brought his chair closer to hers. He bent forward and held her hand against his chest. She turned bright red feeling his erratic heartbeat matching her own.
'Are you okaay?' Dilshad asked seeing her go red,
'Huh? Haan yes. Feeling hot' She flapped her left hand to indicate the heat. Dilshad looked at the open window and then at her. She got up and took the plates to the sink. Zain smirked to himself; that was for driving me insane last night. Ayaat pulled her hand almost pleading for him to let go.
'Ayaat, when you're done. Get changed' Asad spoke from the living room as he pushed the furniture out of the way. Ayaat shot upright forcing him to let go of her hand. She nodded to no one in particular and picked up her plate.
'Leave the plates beta. You get changed' Dilshad shooed her away. Ayaat stared at him biting into his sandwich gloating,
'I will get you back' She whispered in his ears whilst she poured the whole pot of salt onto his sandwhich. He touched his sandwich and put it into his mouth. He smiled at her making her face scrunch up angrily. She pointed to her head and then drew circles indicating his low mental balance. She closed her door and leaned against it breathing heavily. She wiped her sweat and held her heart.
'Stop beating so fast' She scolded herself. She touched her lips and looked at her hand; stay away from him. She grabbed her bag and took out her leggings and top. She stood in front of the mirror dressed in black; she touched her stomach looking at herself sideways in the mirror.
'Please stay flat forever' She prayed not wanting to ever leave her food. She placed her phone on the bed and started tidying up. She heard a thud behind her and then footsteps. She swiftly turned on her feet, her mouth opened but no words came out as he grabbed her and pinned her against the wall, holding one arm up above her with his other over her mouth. She blinked a few times registering his face and his touch; she stared at his determined face. Her eyebrows creased; what do you want? Her chest rose up and down, breathing short and uneven feeling his close proximity. She looked down not being able to meet the new found intensity in his eyes.
'Open your eyes' He whispered, she lifted her eyes slowly. 'You didn't ask me anything about last night, don't you want to know' She shook her head, she removed his hand from her mouth.
'It was a mistake' She avoided his gaze. He looked at her carefully only to realise he wasn't the only one that was having a moment last night. She let herself go too. 'Forget it. I don't think we should talk to each other' She tried to free herself, he held her other arm up.
'You don't want to know why?' He repeated. She shook her head in a no.
'But I want you to know' He whispered. She looked into his eyes, his eyes darkened with raw passion.
'No. I don't want to know why. I don't care. Let me go' She squirmed under his hold. He let go of her and took a step backwards,
'You don't care about what happened or you don't care about me?' He asked her.
'Both' She replied rubbing her wrists.
'Sorry' He looked at her hands.
'Your presence doesn't make a difference to me' She stomped past him only to feel his hands over her waist. She looked to her side to find his one arm wrapped around her stomach stopping her from going forward, she closed her eyes and placed her hand over his before pulling it off. She ran out of the room, he turned around and crossed his arms.
'I think it makes a lot of difference Ayaat' He laughed to himself. 'You care about me, I'll get you to admit it real soon' He brushed his hair, I don't know why, but I will. I don't know if what daadi said is true, but I can't bear to stay away from you.' He shook his head, Maybe I have fallen for you...'
Ayaat walked out of the room feeling flustered, she tightened her pony tail and placed her hands over her burning cheeks. She picked up the box on the table,
'Is this for me?' She asked, Asad nodded whilst he fixed the fighting pads. She opened it slowly and squealed, Asad chuckled to himself. She ran up to him and fell on top of his back hugging him, Asad was on his knees, he fell flat against the floor. He smiled at her reaction; she lay on top of his back.
'Ahhh, Ayaat you're squashing me baby' He grunted,
'Haww! You calling me fat?' She gasped pushing him down harder.
'Yes yes. How many kilos are you now?' He pulled her legs; she looked at the side of his face. He held her mischievous eyes, she pulled his cheeks. She placed a kiss on his cheek and jumped up.
'I love it Abbu. It's the perfect colour' She held up her designer royal blue jumpsuit.
'Yes yes, I can see that' He wiped his cheek and looked at his hand disgusted. Her mouth opened wide, she jumped up and kissed his other cheek. He grabbed her and took her in for hug,
'Thank you' She closed her eyes in his arms,
'Anything for you baby' He kissed her head. 'Come on. Kickboxing classes for this weeek!' He pulled away and picked up the pads. He held them in front of her and eyed her to get ready. She put the lid back on the box and picked up her thin hand protection gloves. She secured her knee and stood in front of him.
'Come on' He hit the pads against each other and held it for her.
'I'll go easy on you' She bit her lip whilst he let out a laugh.
'Aim beta' Asad got serious. She threw her first punch, 'harder beta. Stand properly. Haan teek hain' She nodded before throwing two more punches. 'Good, few more' She obeyed his orders throwing few more faster ones. He nodded at her impressed. He stepped back from her kick, his eyes opened wide with excitement. He remained silent as she threw a few more punches and kicks before panting.
'Baby, your punches need to be faster and with power. Okay imagine this is Con-' He paused seeing her raise her eyebrow, ' a boy's face. Yeah . Punch him right here' He pointed as he demonstrated. Ayaat shook her head at her father's innocent talks. Ayaat threw a punch, 'no harder beta, so that you do some damage to their nose' Asad's eyes grew darker as he mumbled a few silent words, cursing under his breath. Ayaat watched curiously,
'Abbu, this is for self-defence right?' She asked,
'Ofcourse it is. Listen carefully beta' He held her eyes, 'When a boy crosses that one metre boundary, you use this as a defence, okay?' He nodded his head like he was talking to his six year old daughter. His 17 year old daughter was beyond amused at her father's protective nature. He placed the pads on the floor and then demonstrated a flying kick. His leg rose in the air before swinging back down taking the nearest flower pot down with his long legs.
'Oops' Asad bit his tongue.
'Ya Allah, what happened?' Dilshad came running hearing the noise. Ayaat held her lips seeing her father's childlike guilty face.
'Ammi. Woh, Ayaat accidently kicked it off. I'll replace it' He lied to her.
'Whaat no way I-' Asad held her mouth. He smiled widely at his mother as Ayaat and Dilshad exchanged knowing glances. She cleaned it up and left the two.
'Abbu' Ayaat glared at him before throwing punches. Asad quickly picked up the pads and took her powerful hits. She spun on her feet recreating her father's kicks; she danced on her feet effortlessly as she defended Asad's counter attacks. She watched from the corner of her eyes as Zain came into the living room. Her punches became faster and harder as she panted heavily. She took her thin gloves off and threw them on the table, Asad sat against the sofa.
'What happened to making your daughter into a geeky accountant?' Zoya teased from the dining table.
'No I prefer a feisty designer instead.' He kissed her forehead.
Ayaat sighed, 'What's the point? In real life situations, I turn into a helpless cub'
'Whaaat?' Zoya blinked,
'No I meant woh shower' Ayaat rushed towards her room.
'Nothing. She just meant she won't be able to deal with er real situations.' Asad held her hand. 'You two going shopping today?' Zoya nodded biting into her pasty. He rubbed her forehead, 'did you get enough sleep?' She nodded again.
'You forced my little baby to move in didn't you? She looked at him. Zain froze with the fridge door half open, he took out a slice of cake and placed the plate back inside. 'Asad, we agreed we will let her make all the decisions. What's with the blackmail?'
'What did I do?' He shrugged his shoulders.
'Sudar jao Asad. I wouldn't be surprised if she started avoiding you from now on' Asad looked at Zoya blankly.
'Oh pleaseee Zoya. You're just jealous' He retorted,
'I spent the last 18 years- SHOOT!' She smacked her head remembering something. 'You go get ready. Beta' Zoya looked up towards a fidgeting Zain, 'I need to talk to you' he turned around and nodded. He watched Asad go to his room whilst he sat down next to Zoya. She held his hand,
'Zain beta, I need a favour'
'Anything' He placed his hand over hers.
'I need you to stay with Ayaat. It's her birthday in a few days. We're moving in on friday, works need to be done in her room. So basically what I'm trying to say is-'
'Don't let her come here'
'Yes. The work should be done by tomorrow afternoon. She's going office today, but is it possible you could keep her in the other house. And tomorrow, help her pack, I don't know' She shrugged her shoulders. I'll tell you the plans but you have to promise me not to tell her. She will get really upset' She looked towards Ayaat's room. He looked at her concerned,
'Long story. We all have pasts that stop us from being happy, from embracing our future. Don't worry. Can you do this for me?' She asked,
'Of course. Providing she co-operates' He laughed,
'You two need to stop fighting'
'She doesn't help the situation' he complained,
'Bear with her. She's really soft at heart. It's just that she has a lot on her mind. And I guess she's taking it out on you. It's not because she hates you, it's because she trusts you, she trusts you to fight back. My daughter' She sighed, 'cares too much.' She wiped her tears.
'Don't worry. I'll do whatever you say' he wiped her tears.
'Aha, I know you will and only you can handle my magnified tufaan' She caressed his face, Zain held back his tears from her motherly touch,
He half laughed at her joke, 'lekin beta, don't give her too much work. You know-'
'Ammi!' Ayaat stopped her. She stood outside her room dressed in her bathrobe, towel wrapped around her head. 'Ammi work is work. I don't want to be treated any more favourably. Pleaseee' She grabbed her gift box, 'And you didn't find anyone else to talk about me did you?' She looked at Zain's raised eyebrow.
'She was just looking out for you' Zain answered,
'I'm fine' She held her mother's eyes. She went back inside her room and shut the door.
'She'll come round' Zoya looked towards the door. As the days got closer, Ayaat was slipping away from her mother. How does she control such a situation where a sister is willing to give up everything for her dead brother, how does she tell her to let go of a memory she herself gave to her? 'Ahsaan' Zoya whispered into her hands. Zain placed his hand over her shoulder, Zoya looked at him before leaning on his shoulder. She was scared for Tanveer, she was scared wondering what the father and daughter will do to her for everything that has happened. More than that, she didn't want to lose Zain; how would Ayaat react knowing who he is?
'Ammi bhi na. Don't give her more work' She imitated her mother as she got into her jumpsuit. She tied her curls up into a messy bun and sat back against the bed.
'I was harsh. I was avoiding work anyways wasn't I? It's not Ammi's fault. It's Zain's. Everything is his fault. What I wouldn't do to punch-' She touched her nose and then looked at her hand imagining blood. 'Why do I care?' She got up feeling irritated, 'I mean I don't care' She got out of her room and went towards the couch and sat next to Asad. Innayah and Sofia popped up from behind startling her. Asad looked at them defensively, they apologised sitting next to her.
'What are your plans today?' Sofia asked,
'Office in an hour' replied Ayaat.
'Why?'
'We're going for a picnic' They looked at her sadly, 'well we were' They looked at Asad with tearful eyes. She watched them emotionally blackmail her father,
'Ayaat beta. Forget office today. Go with these and enjoy yourself.' Asad looked up from his folders; Ayaat looked at Zain who watched with a blank face.
'Office is important Abbu. Me and Zain have a few meetings today' She mentally questioned why she said that. She really wanted to spend the day with Zain than her cousins?'
'You g-'
'Postpone them and go. Both of you' Zoya interrupted Asad. She looked at Zain and nodded. Ayaat watched him nod back at her,
'Well there's one meeting we have to attend. How about we meet you around 2ishh?' Zain sguggested,
'That's fine with us' Innayah nodded.
'Okaay have fun. Zoya will you and and Ammi be okaay?' Asad asked Zoya to which she nodded. 'I'm going office then. Give me a call if you need me' He nodded before leaving.
'Bhaijaan, come here' Innayah called him. Zain came and sat down on the other side next to Ayaat. He looked over at Innayah.
'What happened to that girl?' She winked,
'What girl?' He coughed pulling his tie up.
'That one from the mall. Line pe line maar rahi thi woh. Number bhi le liye' Ayaat looked at him with murderous eyes.
'It wasn't my real number. And anyways that was a month ago. Can we forget it please?' He pleaded.
'Bhajiii' Innayah teased, 'what happened to our jeeja jee'
'Oh please you girls. Don't start on me now' She hushed them.
'Who jeeja jee?' Zain asked quickly.
'Woh shopping wale' they pointed backwards, Ayaat eyed them.
'He is not your jeeja jee' She chided, 'his body was nice' Zain pulled her arm to look at him, she shrugged it off 'but, he was a show off. I actually felt disgusted how he tried leaning in towards me' She shivered. 'You girls were no help' she finally looked at Zain,
'What was that you were practicing before?' He spoke mockingly,
'Kickboxing' She told him the obvious before realising what he was indicating. She made a face at him before sitting side wards with her back towards him.
'Ermm I'll just grab my bag and shoes, I'll get khaka to drop you both off' She told them before getting up and wandering off to her room.
'Ammi, I'm leaving'
'Okay, have fun' She popped her head from the newspaper. 'Bye Zain' Ayaat creased her eyebrows; she turned around to find him standing behind her.
'Hey, Ammi why don't you join us in an hour. You can go shopping after' Ayaat suggested,
'Shall let you know' She said without looking up. Sighing, Ayaat stepped forward, but he stepped side wards and blocked her way. She stepped the other way, he followed her steps.
'What do you want?' She whisper yelled,
'What I really want...' He stepped forward, she took a step backwards, 'what I really really want...' Ayaat stepped backwards and hit the wall,
'What?' She snapped, he placed his hand on the wall,
'What I want is for you to give me a few hours of your evening today...' He whispered into her ears as he watched the corner of her eyes consciously see if anyone was there. She was relieved to find them behind the wooden veiling stands.
'Whaaat?' She gasped realising what he said,
'I told you what I-'
'No I heard that. What the, why on earth would I do that?' She shook her head,
'Why, well let's seee' he held his face side wards thinking, 'well because I can see that you're dying to spend some time with me' her eyes widened whilst she puffed through her flared nostrils. 'Okay okay, I need to show you something'
'What?'
'Surprise' he shrugged his shoulders,
'I don't have time'
'Really?' He closed in on her,
'I er I er' He closed in further, 'Abbu will come' her eyes looked over his shoulder, he smirked at her words,
'He hasn't come yet...' She looked into his eyes, her lips failed to find any other words, he closed in further making her breathing faster.
'You you'll get-in-trouble' She whispered,
'I will get in trouble.' He repeated, he watched her close her eyes.
'Fineee' She finally breathed out knocking him out of the way. He held her hand to stop her from walking away.
'I thought you didn't care?' He questioned her; she looked back at him blinking her eyes at his question. He walked past her saying he would drop her off. She looked towards her hands and held her chest. She walked out of the house slowly and stood outside his car. She held the door handle,
'Bhaji, pleasee go to the front?' Innayah popped her head out,
'Wwhy?'
'There's no space'
'I'm sure there is' She leaned in.
'I need itt'
'Will you two get a move on I have a meeting to attend' Zain grunted revving the car engine. She closed her eyes and stepped inside. She placed her seatbelt on and looked at him.
'I don't care' She whispered to him. He looked at her,
'You should, work is important' He grinned at her before driving off.
Ayaat looked up into the sky; what the hell is wrong with him? As if he's akdu state was intolerable, he has actually gone irritatingly crazy. Why does it matter if I care about him or not. What mattered was that he didn't care and wanted her to stay away, well that's what she thought. As much as she tried to do that, she found herself going closer to him. What kind of trial was this Almighty? How would I stay away from him living in the same house? She gazed towards him thoughtfully, what do you really want Zain?
'Hey Alaina. How are you?' Ayaat greeted signing in.
'Congratulations' Alaina hugged her over the desktop, 'I'm good thank you. Hope you are too' She smiled. Ayaat pressed her eyes at her; she was the only person in this office that never failed to make her smile. 'I'll see you later' She turned around and bumped into a wall like structure. Her folder flew off her and hit Zain who threw curses turning around. He watched with wide, murderous eyes as a well built young male held Ayaat by the waist as she almost fell back.
'Immy?' Ayaat gasped, they both stood upright, 'what are you doing here?'
'You've heard my name' He flirted brushing his hair back, 'It's good to see you' he looked her up and down, Zain fisted his hand disgusted seeing the guy's eyes sparkle with lust.
'Of course I did. And erm thank you for the help' She pointed back indicating the fall.
'No worries' he winked at her. He placed a folder on the desk and looked back at her,
'You work here?' She questioned,
'Intern' He replied, 'except I'm not quite as lucky as you' He looked over her shoulder as an elder woman entered the building.
'I've never seen you before' She said thoughtfully,
'I was in Pune for a project with my manager' He nodded at the woman, Ayaat looked back and watched her smile at him before heading towards Zain. She followed her and almost burst seeing her hug Zain as if they were best friends. Best.Friends.
'Soumya. Back after a month finally. How was the project?' Zain pulled away from the hug with his eyes on Immy.
'It was great' She looked towards Immy, 'it's good to see you' she rest her hand on his shoulder.
'I've got a meeting now. I have to go. See you at the managerial meeting.' He flashed the folder in front of a furious Ayaat, she grabbed it with fierce hands.
'See you later' She spoke to Immy and followed Zain who rolled his eyes; if he's alive later. He looked back and watched him,
'Freaking clown' He mumbled under his breath,
'Desperado' Ayaat gritted her teeth pushing the boardroom door open,
'Goodmorning Mr Ali. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting' Ayaat apologised, Zain placed his hand on her waist and pushed her forward to sit down.
'Shall we start?' He spoke sitting down.
'I told you to speak but you didn't. And when you are not to speak, you can't shut up!' He shouted at her. She glared at him as they paced towards the park,
'I didn't know what to say' She yelled back at him. 'You told me to stay quiet if I don't know. I'm not as experienced as you okay. How the hell should I know what an overreaching matter is' She played her hands in the air.
'If you didn't know, then why did you speak towards the end?' He stopped and faced her. People around them walked by and shook their heads at the quarrelling couple.
'Because it was important for them to know we aren't ready to bow down!' She screamed back.
'That contract was important Ayaat!'
'But we aren't willing to compromise especially when it comes to the designs' She met his tone of voice. He held his head, all their siblings stood in a line along with Zoya and Dilshad watching them argue.
'You aren't understanding' He spoke frustrated,
'Make me understand then. It's not like I understand anything' She played her hands in the air.
'What the hell is that supposed to mean?'
'It means if you aren't happy with anything I do why don't you just fire meee!!!!!!' She shouted almost crying, 'It's not like I'm doing anything right in that office'
'So that's what all this is about?' He crossed his arms. She stared at him blankly breathing heavily. 'You're scared of failure; you're scared that you might actually have to work hard to prove yourself. You're scared and that's why you're running away' He spoke mockingly. Zoya put her hand up to stop them knowing he hit the wrong cord, Ayaat held him by the collar.
'I am not scared of working hard. Because I ALWAYS work hard! I am not the sort of person that runs away from trouble do you understand. I will NOT fail and I WILL make Abbu proud' She shook him with each sentence as he watched her fierce eyes gleaming with self respect. He remained silent as her nose pushed against his and held him in that position.
'Bb-beautiful' Hassan stuttered holding roses in his hands out to her, Ayaat let go of him and looked to her side. They both fixed themselves before realising their whole family was gawking at them. Zain quickly placed his hand over her shoulder and smiled widely at everyone,
'We just had a disagreement. Office stuff' Zain flapped his hand in the air indicating the minor issue. They both nodded in unison before walking back inside the park. Ayaat went over to her mother and held her wheelchair,
'We should go for a walk' Zoya suggested, she nodded whilst the rest of the lot set up the food and the games.
'Is everything okaay baby? That wasn't any office sort of disagreement was it?'
'Nopee' She sighed, 'But it only happens in the office. Don't worry, it's normal Ammi. You know Zain, he proper sets me off. And he doesn't leave any straw behind to fight back. It was this meeting, my mistake. I shouldn't have said anything but I was so angry'
'Why?'
'That Woma- no just his comments. They put me on the edge' She explained. She walked around the wheelchair and held her hands out to her; Zoya placed hers in them and got up. 'Ammi, you have to do this' She encouraged her.
'Mama, I'm here for a walk. Yes the interview went well. We've got him, don't worry. I told you I wouldn't let you down. The documents were cleared. From now on I am Asim Ahmed' He laughed, he listened carefully as Tanveer explained the rest of the plan. 'Okie dokes' He placed the phone in his pocket and leaned against the tree. He closed his eyes and took in the fresh air. He heard his phone beep, he smiled to himself.
'Hope it went well' his fingers brushed over her email.
'It went great' he typed, 'thanks to your prayers' he pressed send.
'Thanks to your hard work you mean. Well proud of you' her reply came instantly. He smiled to himself,
'You should get some sleep, I know it's midday but we have been at this all night' Another reply came. He yawned to himself.
'It was worth it' He pressed send.
'When can we finally meet?...'
'When-' He erased the message,
'You're one of the reasons I came Bhopal. When can we finally meet?' His thumb brushed over the send button before finally pressing it.
'Depends how long you're willing to wait' He nodded at her reply before locking his screen and placing the phone back in his pocket.
He stepped inside the office room with his folder. He watched the man his mother hated sat on his seat looking down at the folders in front of him.
'Asim?' Asad looked up and saw the young boy standing in front of him. He watched him thoughtfully for a moment before asking him to sit down. Asim put his hand out for Asad to shake and then sat down,
'17 years old, Originally from Chandigarh'
'No Bhopal sir' He corrected,
'Bhopal?'
'Yes sir. I was born here, my mother moved to Chandigar when I was young' He answered truthfully.
'So what brings you back here?'
'My future' He paused looking Asad in the eye, 'I made a promise to my mother, I'll make her proud' He smiled, Asad laughed.
'That you will' Asad looked over his papers, 'So what made you apply for this position, you're inexperienced for a role like this. I thought you'd be here for an internship or some sort of work experience'
'Everyone has to start somewhere. I'm still learning, being able to shadow such a successful businessman like you, gaining that sort of knowledge is my aim. I'm not a bad student, results in a few weeks should prove that. I've been estimated high grades; this is an opportunity to start my career in architecture.'
'What about university?' He asked,
'My course requires six month placement. What more could be said than to have worked with Bhopal's most noteable company. Everyone only dreams of working in such a place' he smiled. Asad looked at his CV.
'Business studies... Not bad' He spoke impressed.
'Well our company believes in giving opportunities to young assets like yourself. Since it was my idea, I'm sat here taking these interviews.' He laughed looking at his watch, 'How would you like a rapid fire session?' Asad suggested, Asim nodded in agreement. Asad looked at him carefully, there was something different about him. He had interviewed 20 odd candidates in the last hour or so, neither had that spark in their eyes. His smile, it might be odd for a man to notice but it reminded him of someone. He held a macho image but this boy had layered emotions buried within him. His thoughts landed on Ayaat; her surprise. He breathed out sighing, he stared at the young boy in front of him, ready to throw questions at him so that he could wrap this up.
'Ammi, come' Ayaat stood a few metres away from her mother asking her to walk on the soft grass. She knew how helpless Zoya felt this last month; she needed someone by her side no matter what she wanted to do.
'I'm coming beta' Zoya bit her lips taking one step at a time, losing her balance slightly here and there. She walked straight finally not losing her balance. She reached Ayaat and hugged her tight.
'Ammi, now back to the wheelchair, I'll stand beside you' She walked side by side as her mother took steps forward. She felt a rock beneath her slippers and almost fell. Ayaat grabbed one of her hands as another person's hand wrapped around the other.
'Za-' Ayaat looked up and froze. She blinked a few times staring at the stranger's face who was holding onto her mother to stop her from falling. Zoya stared at him; her hands went over his as they both helped her stand upright. The young boy stepped back as Ayaat's hand wrapped over Zoya's shoulder, they both watched him with thankful eyes. Zoya caressed his face,
'Thank you beta' She whispered bringing her hands back to her chest. Ayaat watched him smile and then walk away. She shook her thoughts away and helped her mum sit down. She kissed her mother on the cheek; she looked back once more before pushing the wheelchair back.
'You're back. Thought you ditched us then' Innayah pulled her away.
'No chance detective' Ayaat laughed sitting down on the picnic mat.
'We'll get going' Dilshad handed everything over and got up,
'Stay na' Ayaat looked up,
'Important shopping beta. I'll see you at home. Ammi let's go' Dilshad nodded,
'Which one?' Ayaat joked,
'Old one' Zoya shook her head, 'have fun you lot!'
'What games?' Ayaat heard Innayah speak. 'Cricket in this heat? You're joking right?'
'Nopeee' Hussain shook his head, 'It'll be fun. Come on'
'What about kabbadi?' Sofia suggested,
'As if you weaklings would be able to handle it.' Zain mocked the girls.
'Excuse meee?'
'You're excused' He ignored her and grabbed the cricket bat. 'Let's go'
'Hawww! This guy is too much' Ayaat groaned,
'Ignore bhaijaan' Innayah placed a hat on top of Ayaat's head and followed Zain.
'You coming Sofia?' Ayaat looked at her, she nodded. Ayaat walked towards the team. Sofia looked at her phone,
'Forever' She whispered before getting up and joining everyone.
'I'll show you how to play' Zain held the bat over his shoulder moving past Ayaat. She growled quietly,
'Hussain, here take the ball. You're bowling' Ayaat threw the ball at him with force.
'Ouch' Hussain caught the ball and laughed, 'good throw behena'
'Shush you!' She ran towards the field. She waited as Hussain bowled and Zain hit it hard. She watched the ball go over her, she chased after it and threw it back to Hussain.
Good hit bhaijaan' Hassan punched the air.
'That is how you play' Zain shouted, Ayaat placed both of her hands together and clicked her fingers. She moved back slightly and waited. The next moments were silent before Zain hit the bowl, Ayaat watched it carefully with her eyes, she moved a few steps back and held her hands up. Her lips curved into a smile as the ball landed straight into her cupped hands. She jumped up in the air before breaking into a bhangra dance. Hussain and Sofia ran towards her and jumped on top of her making her fall backwards onto the muddy floor.
'Guysss, get off meee!' She squealed, she touched her nose and looked at her hands, there was mud everywhere. 'Abbu just gifted me this today' She told Sofia.
'Omg omg omg' Sofia panicked and rubbed her dress.
'Let me help you' Zain stood on top of her. He picked her up and took her towards the hose pipes. He placed her on the floor and picked up the hose pipe. He aimed at her face and switched it on. The water splashed her face making her shriek. She put her arms up defensively and cried for him to stop. She shivered on the floor; he sat on his knees and watched her. She glared at him,
'I don't like losing' He whispered,
'Sore loser' She whispered back, he switched the hose pipe on for a moment and switched it off. He smiled at her to continue. She jumped forward on top of him, she pinned him on the floor and smiled, she grabbed the hose pipe and wet his face. He squirmed under her, he turned his body making her fall under him, they both rolled on the muddy floor until they halted in front of Hassan. They both held each other tight, she rest her chin on his neck. They both remained in that position with their eyes closed.
'Bhaijaan would you let go of her' Hassan cried, Ayaat lifted her head up and stared at him. He watched her with the same intensity, without blinking. She got up and helped him up. They both walked towards the picnic mat and sat down. Sofia wrapped Ayaat in a towel before helping Zain.
'Give me something to eat, I'm starving' Ayaat complained, Zain nodded in agreement.
Asim walked down the lonely road, he looked around him at the dark world. Nothing was visible; that's how he felt inside. He placed his hands in his pocket and took out his phone. He read over her emails over and over again,
'Soap, how do you know that the thing you're going to do is right? I mean isn't seeing the smile on your close one's face enough to make something right?'
'I think you know what you're doing is wrong or else you wouldn't have talked about making it right. You'll get a call from your heart, and you'll just know. Everyone's conscience is different. However, doing harm, making someone unhappy to make someone else happy is wrong.'
He pondered aimlessly for hours trying to make his heart understand that it was wanting all the wrong things. It was overruled by fear, his mind wasn't willing to cooperate either, it only saw the benefits of what was about to happen.
'Oiii' a young male held a knife to his throat, Asim choked.
'What do you want?' He held his hand in the air as more goons surrounded him.
'Phone. Empty your pockets' The guy searched his pockets removing the knife for a second, Asim twisted his hand and the knife fell with a clang. He punched the guy that came towards him and he fell grunting in pain. Before he could turn around, a guy smashed an alcohol bottle on his head making his hands swerve in mid-air, his eyes blurred before crashing against the concrete road. His body lay in a disoriented position; his head was draining of blood.
'At least tell me what you want to show me' Ayaat shivered, she brushed her hands together. She was shaking despite wearing Zain's jumper,
'Why isn't this heating up?' He smashed his car, 'there.'
'Tell me' She continued,
'Tell you what?'
'Don't make me argue' She looked at him. She held her head and whacked it against the headrest. She winced in pain, he looked at her worried. She screamed really loudly as the car halted to a stop.
'Bodyy' She pointed, Zain looked out of car shocked, he removed his seatbelt and ran out,
'Hey buddy, are you okay?' Zain tapped his face, 'he's still breathing. We need to take him to the hospital.'
'Zain, he's that guy I met at the park' Ayaat shivered, she held her head not being able to stand right. She nodded before picking up his phone and following behind as he picked him up and placed him at the back of the car.
'Let's go' Zain was about to get inside when he noticed Ayaat gone. He panicked momentarily, his eyes searched everywhere. He walked around the car and gasped to find her body on the floor.
'Ayaaat?' He cried placing her head on his lap. 'Wake up, what's wrong?' He yelled almost crying, 'Ayaat, does it hurt? Tell me where?' She breathed sharply not being able to open her eyes, his hands went up to her nose, 'you're bleeding' he wiped her nose that was flooding with blood. He picked her up and placed her inside the car before driving off.
'Both of you please stay with me...' He panicked, his left hand brushed her hair back as he tried steering with one hand.
Zain jumped out of his car, almost falling forward, he raised his hand and yelled for the security guard to come over.
'He's unconscious. He needs treatment right away' He ordered the security guard. Few more nurses rushed out and helped place him on a hospital bed. Zain's hand shook as he opened the front car door and picked her up,
'What's wrong with her?' One of the nurses asked,
'I don't know' He whispered staring at her face, 'Her head was hurting, and then she fainted. Her nose was bleeding' He spoke with wide eyes. He held her hand as he rushed through the busy corridor, both bodies lay silent on the hospital beds. He stared at her innocent face before it disappeared. Both of the bodies were taken into the same room, separated by a glass window.
'Her heart rate is falling fast' One of the nurses shouted, 'She has no wounds, nose bleeding. Bleeding needs to be controlled.'
'Cause?' Another nurses asked,
'Could be internal' Doctor answered checking her up, 'Oxygen mask?' He looked towards the nurse who had managed to finally control the bleeding.
'He has lost a lot of blood doctor' The nurse cleaned his forehead. 'His heart rate is falling' She looked through the glass at Ayaat's monitor before shaking herself.
'We need blood'
'What kind?'
'Well it's gone for testing. He is not registered.'
'Well what are you doing here? Have you checked the blood banks?'
'Well that's the problem doctor; it's like the case from yesterday, no B-' the doctor held his head,
'Who came with him? We need blood as soon as possible. Complete the stitches' He ordered before running out,
'How is sheee?' Zain jumped up,
'I attended the young boy' The doctor looked confused, Zain nodded. 'We need blood, as soon as possible'
'Sir I need you to fill this in' The nurse held some papers in front of him.
'What blood? Is he okaay?' Zain ignored the nurse,
'B-, our blood bank is empty' Doctor sighed, 'We have 24 hours' He gave him an ultimatum to save the boy inside. He patted his shoulder and walked away,
'How is she?' He asked again helplessly, no reply came. He held his head in frustration, he tried calling home; no-one was picking up.
'Sir I need you to sign in this,'
'Sign whaat?' He screamed at her,
'We need to perform a few scans on her, we need your permission. I need her details sir so that we could bring up her information and we need to operate on him' She spoke to a scrared Zain.
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
Bindi
Current Affairs
